As one of the surviving titans of thrash metal, Slayer have earned immunity from being criticised in the eyes of some. Afterall, the main criticism levelled at them focuses on the fact they’ve been creating tunes around the exact same riff for the last two decades. Surely an unfair assessment? Not according to new track ‘Not Of this God’. Returning to seven-stringers to create a sound much closer to the material on God Hates Us All, the song is comprised of the Slayer trademarks of indistinguishable vocals and generally involves a whole lot of puffing about without really reaching the climax expected from such apparently intense playing. You could argue that this steadfast and unshakeable devotion to what they set out to create in the early 80s is their most admirable feat but this is a hard stance to adopt when faced with “new” material like ‘Not of This God’ which is much of the same really. It’s the sound of a band perpetually overeager to prove their relevance by playing faster and more furiously than before, at the detriment of trying anything new or rewarding their fanbase with something actually worth staying loyal to. But if the fans aren’t complaining, why change it?
Words: Lisa Hughes
